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Journalism of Courage
The Opposition Congress party in Kerala demanded Thursday a CBI probe into the murder of a Youth Congress leader, S P Shuhaib, after its prime accused Akash Thillenkery alias M V Akash claimed obliquely that he committed it allegedly at the behest of some ruling CPI(M) leaders but was later abandoned by the party.
A former CPI(M) worker, Thillenkery was expelled by the party following his arrest in the Shuhaib murder case days after the crime was committed in Kannur in February 2018. What has come as a severe embarrassment for the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government now is his “revelation” through a social media post.
Thillenkery had been allegedly involved in many criminal cases including the murder of an RSS worker.
On Wednesday, Thillenkery, in a Facebook post, said, “Party leaders at Mattannur (in Kannur where Shuhaib was murdered) had made us commit it. There would be many calls (to execute a crime). But nobody would help when a case emerges. Those who have issued directions (to commit the crime) have got jobs in the co-operative sector. But those who executed such commands are facing poverty and boycott from the party.’’
Thillenkery, known for targeting the CPI(M) in social media, went on to claim in his post that he was forced to join a gold smuggling racket after being deserted by the CPI(M). “The party never intervened to prevent us from veering to commit mistakes or rectifying them. When there is no protection, we will have to travel in different ways. If we speak out, many people would not be able to step out. We were branded as a supari gang (contract killers),’’ he said.
Hitting back, the CPI(M) rejected Thillenkery’s allegations. The party’s Kannur district secretary M V Jayarajan said, “The supari gang leader (Thillenkery) wanted to hide his role in the murder case and sought to become an approver in the case. He is a member of a gold smuggling gang. His revelation is intended to implicate party leaders in the murder case, which happened four years back. Nobody would be allowed to escape from the case using the party and its banner. This supari gang has no role in CPI(M) campaigns.’’
The Vijayan government has opposed the demand for a CBI inquiry into the Youth Congress leader’s murder case, even as the CPI(M) has all along refuted allegations of its involvement in it. When Shuhaib’s family moved the Kerala High Court, seeking a CBI probe into his killing, the government assigned senior lawyers to argue against the plea. A single high court bench had ordered a CBI probe, but a division bench later stayed it. Shuhaib’s family then approached the Supreme Court.
Intensifying the Congress’s attack on the Vijayan dispensation, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran charged that the CPI(M)’s bid to oppose a CBI probe into Shuhaib’s murder betrayed its “complicity” in the case. “Shuhaib was murdered by CPI(M). Thillenkery has revealed the facts behind the murder. The state government has exhausted Rs 1.36 crore for senior advocates of the Supreme Court to argue against the CBI probe. The revelation of the accused substantiates our demand for a CBI probe. Congress hopes that the Supreme Court would order a CBI probe,’’ he said.
